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(Ebook PDF) Essentials of International Relations 8Th Edition

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4 Levels of Analysis 107
The International System 110
Realism and the International System 110

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
THE INTERNATIONAL SYSTEM: A VIEW FROM CHINA 114

Liberalism and the International System 116


Constructivism and the International System 118
Change in the International System 119
The International System as a Level of Analysis: The Russia-
Ukraine Conflict 123

The State 124


International Relations Perspectives and the State 124
State Power 125
The State as a Level of Analysis: The Russia- Ukraine
Conflict 131

The Individual 132


International Relations Perspectives and the Individual 132
The Role of Elites 133
The Role of Mass Publics and Private Individuals 141
The Individual as a Level of Analysis: The Russia- Ukraine
Conflict 145

In Sum: Seeing the World through Different Levels of


Analysis 146

5 The State and the Tools of Statecraft 149


The State and the Nation 150

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
BECOMING A STATE: A VIEW FROM PALESTINE 154

Tools of Statecraft 157


The Art of Diplomacy 157
Economic Statecraft 160
The Use of Force 163

Models of Foreign Policy Decision Making 165


The Rational Model: The Realist Approach 165
The Bureaucratic/Organizational Model and the Pluralist Model:
The Liberal Approaches 167

CONTENTS \\ vii
Constructivist Alternatives 170

Democracies, Autocracies, and Foreign Policy 172


Challenges to the State 173
Globalization 174
Transnational Religious and Ideological Movements 175
Ethnonational Movements 179
Transnational Crime 181
Fragile States 182

In Sum: The Centrality of States 183

6 War and Security 187


Military Security and War 189
What Is War? 190
Types of War 191
Interstate War 191
Intrastate War 193
Conventional War 195
Unconventional Warfare 196
Terrorism 198
Cyberwarfare 204

The Causes of War 206


Realist Interpretations of the Causes of War 207
Liberal Interpretations of the Causes of War 209
Constructivist Interpretations of the Causes of War 210

Preventing War and Managing State Security 212


Realist Approaches to Preventing War 212

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
GOING NUCLEAR: A VIEW FROM NORTH KOREA 214

Liberal Approaches to Preventing War 219


Constructivist Approaches to Preventing War 222

“Laws of War” and State Security 224


Jus ad Bellum 224
Jus in Bello 226
Cyberwarfare and Just War 228

In Sum: International and State Security Today 230

viii \\ CONTENTS
7 International Cooperation and
International Law 233
International Cooperation 235
Realism and the Cooperation Problem 235
Neoliberal Institutionalism and Cooperation 238
Other Liberal Explanations of Cooperation 241
Constructivism and Cooperation 244

International Law 246


Sources of International Law 247
Enforcement Mechanisms and State Compliance 250
Bodies of International Law 258

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
TRIANGULAR COOPERATION: A VIEW FROM COLOMBIA 264

In Sum: The Centrality of Cooperation 266

8 International Political Economy 269


The Evolution of the International Economy: Ideas and
Institutions 270
Economic Institutions 272

How the Globalized Economy Works Today 279


International Finance 279
International Monetary Policy 282
International Trade 283
International Development 295
Strategies to Achieve Economic Development 296
Is Development Being Achieved? Goals for the Next 15 Years 301

Economic Challenges in the Twenty- First Century 303


Crises of Economic Globalization 303

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
DEVELOPMENT: A VIEW FROM RWANDA 304

The Future of Economic Liberalism and Globalization: Crisis,


Continuity, or Reform? 310
Alternative Institutions: The Debate over Globalization
Continues 312
The View from Economic Theories 315

In Sum: From the Economy to Other Institutions


of Cooperation 316

CONTENTS \\ ix
9 Intergovernmental Organizations and
Nongovernmental Organizations 319
Intergovernmental Organizations 320
The Creation of IGOs 320
The Roles of IGOs 323
The United Nations 324
The European Union— Organizing Regionally 340
Other Regional Organizations: The OAS, the AU, and the Arab
League 349

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
BREXIT: A VIEW FROM GREAT BRITAIN 350

Nongovernmental Organizations 353


The Growth of NGO Power and Influence 354
Functions and Roles of NGOs 355
The Power of NGOs 358
The Limits of NGOs 359

Do IGOs and NGOs Make a Difference? 360


The Realist View 360
The Liberal View 361
The Constructivist View 361

In Sum: IGOs and NGOs Respond to New Issues of the


Twenty- First Century 362

10 Human Rights 365


Religious, Philosophical, and Historical Foundations 367
Human Rights as Emerging International Responsibility 370
States as Protectors of Human Rights 374
State Tactics to Protect Human Rights 375

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
HUMAN RIGHTS AND HUMAN SECURITY: A VIEW FROM
CANADA 376

States as Abusers of Human Rights 378

The Role of the International Community— IGOs and NGOs 379


IGOs in Action 379
NGOs’ Unique Roles 381
Evaluating the Efforts of the International Community 383

x \\ CONTENTS
Specific Human Rights Issues 384
The Problem of Genocide and Mass Atrocities 384

Women’s Rights as Human Rights: The Globalization of


Women’s Rights 390
The Debate over Humanitarian Intervention and R2P 394
Contending Perspectives on Responding to Human Rights
Abuses 397
In Sum: From Human Rights to Human Security 399

11 Human Security: Migration, Global Health,


and the Environment 401
Human Security in a Globalized and Transnational
World 403
Migration 403
Contending Perspectives on Migration 408

Health— Protecting Individuals in the Global Commons 409


Ebola, HIV/AIDS, and Noncommunicable Diseases as
Transnational Issues 411
Contending Perspectives on Health 416

The Environment— Protecting the Global Commons 417


Conceptual Perspectives 418
Pollution and Climate Change 419
Natural Resource Issues 425
Population Dynamics 427
Environmental NGOs in Action 431
Contending Perspectives on the Environment 432

GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
THE ENVIRONMENT: A VIEW FROM INDONESIA 434

The Impact of Human Security Issues on International


Relations Practice and Theory 437
Will Transnational Issues Lead to Global Governance? 440
In Sum: Changing Your World 441

Notes N-1
Glossary G-1
Credits C-1
Index I-1

CONTENTS \\ xi
FIGURES, TABLES, AND MAPS

FIGURES
Figure 4.1 Levels of Analysis in International Relations 109

Figure 4.2 Polarity in the International System 112

Figure 4.3 Ingredients of State Power Potential 128

Figure 4.4 Personality Characteristics of Leaders 135

Figure 4.5 The Impact of Individual Elites 140

Figure 5.1 The Rational Model of Decision Making 167

Figure 5.2 The Bureaucratic/Organizational and Pluralist Models


of Decision Making 168
Figure 7.1 Sea Areas in International Law 262

Figure 8.1 The International Economic Institutions 276

Figure 11.1 Trend of Global Displacement and Proportion


Displaced, 1997–2016 405

Figure 11.2 Antiretroviral Therapy Coverage and Number of


AIDS- Related Deaths, Global, 2000–2015 414

Figure 11.3 Carbon Dioxide Emissions by Region 421

TABLES
Table 1.1 Contributions of Philosophers to International
Relations Theory 10

Table 1.2 Tools for Studying International Relations 16

Table 2.1 Important Events of the Cold War 47

Table 4.1 Psychological Mechanisms Used to Process


Information 138

Table 5.1 Instruments of Economic Statecraft 161

Table 5.2 Challenges to State Power 174

Table 6.1 Selected Terrorist Organizations 202

xiii
Table 7.1 Enforcement of International Law 251

Table 8.1 Human Development Index, 2016 297

Table 9.1 Principal Organs of the United Nations 327

Table 9.2 Traditional Peacekeeping Operations, Representative


Cases 331

Table 9.3 Complex/Multidimensional Peacekeeping Operations,


Representative Cases 332

Table 9.4 Representative International and Regional


Organizations 340

Table 9.5 Significant Events in the Development of the


European Union 344

Table 9.6 Principal Institutions of the European Union,


2017 345

Table 10.1 Selected UN Human Rights Conventions 372

MAPS
Africa xx

Asia xxi

The Middle East xxii

Europe xxiii

North America xxiv

Central and South America xxv

The World xxvi—xxvii

Europe, c. 1648 22

Europe, c. 1815 27

Extent of European control from the 1500s to the 1960s 30

Europe, c. 1914 35
Europe, showing alliances as of 1939 40

Europe during the Cold War 45

Kashmir, 2017 180

Maritime boundaries, East Asia 263

Expansion of European Union, 1952–2016 342

xiv \\ FIGURES, TABLES, AND MAPS


ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Karen A. Mingst is Professor Emeritus at the Patterson School of Diplomacy and


International Commerce at the University of Kentucky. She holds a PhD in politi-
cal science from the University of Wisconsin. A specialist in international organi-
zation, international law, and international political economy, Professor Mingst
has conducted research in Western Europe, West Africa, and Yugoslavia. She is
the author or editor of seven books and numerous academic articles.

Heather Elko McKibben is an associate professor in the Department of Political


Science at the University of California, Davis. She has been at Davis since 2009,
after receiving her PhD from the University of Pittsburgh in 2008 and holding a
postdoctorate position in the Niehaus Center for Globalization and Governance at
Princeton University in the 2008–2009 academic year. In her research, Professor
McKibben is interested in understanding when, why and how different countries
negotiate with each other. When and why will countries come to the negotiating
table to resolve problems instead of resorting to more coercive measures? What
types of strategies do they use in those negotiations, and why do those strategies
differ from country to country and negotiation to negotiation? When and why
will countries be able to reach cooperative agreements, and what are the result-
ing agreements likely to look like? Examining international negotiations in a wide
variety of settings, Professor McKibben seeks to answer these types of questions.

Ivan M. Arreguín-Toft is Assistant Professor of International Relations at Boston


University, where he teaches introductory international relations, among other
courses. He holds a PhD in political science from the University of Chicago.
Professor Arreguín-Toft is a specialist in security studies, asymmetric conflict, and
cyber warfare. He was recently the recipient of a U.S. Fulbright grant to Norway.

xv
PREFACE

Brief textbooks are now commonplace in International Relations. This textbook


was originally written to be not only smart and brief, but also—in the words of
Roby Harrington of W. W. Norton—to include “a clear sense of what’s essential
and what’s not.” While this book’s treatment of the essential concepts and informa-
tion has stood the test of time through seven editions, this edition includes more
substantial revisions.
The overall structure remains similar. Students need a brief history of interna-
tional relations to understand why we study the subject and how current scholarship
is informed by what has preceded it. Theories provide interpretative frameworks for
understanding what is happening in the world. The levels of analysis—the inter-
national system, the state, and the individual—are introduced and then expanded
in a chapter on the state and the tools of statecraft. Since conflict and cooperation
are the foundation of international relations, a chapter is devoted to each. Then
the other major issues of the day are examined from the international political
economy, to international and nongovernmental organizations, human rights, and
human security, namely migration, heath, and the environment.
This fully updated edition is enhanced by the addition of new material on the
challenges to globalization posed by populism; the discussion of the perspectives
using the 2014 and beyond Russia-Ukraine conflict; the introduction of cyberwar-
fare as a major type of war; the elaboration of international cooperation theory and
new examples drawn from international law; the introduction of basic economic
concept, including the role of the state and international monetary policy; the
implications of Brexit for the future of the European Union; the expanded notion
of human security with discussion on migration and refugees. As we add, so must
we subtract to preserve the “brief ” and “essential.” Radicalism is dropped from the
general theoretical discussions, but retained in the international political economy
chapter. Discussion of the individual level of analysis is abbreviated, as was sug-
gested by our valuable reviews.

xvii
The rich pedagogical program of previous editions has been revised based on
suggestions from adopters and reviewers:
 Each chapter is introduced with a new story “ripped from the headlines,”
selected to help students apply the concepts discussed in the chapter to a
contemporary problem.
 The popular Global Perspectives features have been updated with new per-
spectives, including: Brexit—view from Great Britain; development—view
from Rwanda; going nuclear—view from North Korea; human rights—view
from Canada. This feature encourages students to consider a specific issue
from the vantage point of a particular state.
 End-of-chapter review materials include discussion questions and a list of
key terms from the chapter to help students remember, apply, and synthe-
size what they have learned.
 Theory in Brief boxes, In Focus boxes, and numerous maps, figures, and
tables appear throughout the text to summarize key ideas.

Many of these changes have been made at the suggestion of expert reviewers,
primarily faculty who have taught the book in the classroom. While it is impos-
sible to act on every suggestion (not all the critics themselves agree), we have
carefully studied the various recommendations and thank the reviewers for tak-
ing time to offer critiques. We thank the following reviewers for their input on
this new edition: Christopher J. Saladino, Virginia Commonwealth University;
Alexei Shevchenko, California State University, Fullerton; Charles W. Mahoney,
California State University, Long Beach; Mona Lyne, University of Missouri,
Kansas City; Joseph M. Brown, University of Massachusetts, Boston; Phil Kelly,
Emporia State University; Kelly M. Kadera, University of Iowa; John W. Dietrich,
Bryant University; Fabian Borges, California State University, San Bernardino,
and all those who provided feedback along the way.
Karen Mingst would like to offer a special thanks to Heather. It was a joy to
work together even though they did so mostly over the Internet. Heather provided
not only a “fresh eye” to the substance of the book, but also was quick to respond to
inquiries, filling in key gaps, always with aplomb.
In this edition as in the others, Karen Mingst owes special thanks to her hus-
band, Robert Stauffer. He has always provided both space and encouragement,
while questioning another book, another edition! Together we are enjoying a
new phase of life called retirement (or just old age). We continue to explore the
political and natural world together, as we have for 45 years. Our son Brett and

xviii \\ PREFACE
daughter-in-law Tara have given us Quintin, now five years old and Langley, one
year old. Quintin just received a globe so he can see where grandma and papa are.
Our daughter Ginger, an attorney, has found her own voice, while constantly try-
ing to provide technical support to her “slow” parents. We are thrilled that they all
continue to be a large part of our life even though we remain divided by the miles.
Heather Elko McKibben would like to thank Karen for inviting her to join the
incredible journey of working on this book. Most of all, she is thankful for Karen’s
trust in her ideas (some of which were new and different), allowing Heather to help
reshape the book that had been Karen’s own “baby” for so long. It has been a true
joy to work with her, and I look forward to continuing to do so. Thank you also
to Peter Lesser, who took notice of the ideas I had, and introduced me to Karen
to start this joint project together. Without Karen and Peter, my part in this story
would not exist.
Heather would also like to give special thanks to her husband, Scott McKibben.
Writing a book is always a team effort—not just among co-authors, but among
those supporting us behind the scenes as well. Without Scott’s patience and rein-
forcement, I would not have been able to pull this off. Thank you also to my par-
ents, who have always been there to support me and continue to be there, pushing
me to be the best I can in all things.
Special thanks to Ivan Arreguín-Toft for his important contributions to previ-
ous editions.
We have been fortunate to have several editors from W. W. Norton who have
shepherded various editions: Peter Lesser has been the calm point person on this
edition, taking a personal interest in making this new collaboration smooth and
seamless. He has kept us on task and time and offered his own keen eye for sub-
stantive ambiguity and awkward wording. He has done this with grace and tact
while at the same time welcoming a new member to his family and relearning the
necessity of sleep. Ann Shin, the editor of the first four editions, continues to offer
support, guidance, and enthusiasm. And Anna Olcott has expertly directed the
editorial process in an expeditious fashion. In short, many talented, professional,
and delightful people contributed to the making of this edition, which we feel is
the best so far. And for that, we remain always grateful.

PREFACE \\ xix
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locked door again between them, he called, "Wake up!"
The boy's body did not move, but his eyes opened wide. With their
instant awareness they were like the eyes of a big cat in a zoo, but
without the cat's easy hatred. "Your dinner's on the table," Derwin
said.
The boy rose swiftly to his feet and looked around him. He saw the
food, went over and began eating. He used his hands, eating the
meat first, in great wolfing bites. When the meat was gone he ate the
potatoes. He tasted the moist cabbage salad, but did not eat it.
Derwin watched him for the few minutes it took. "I guess they never
taught you to use a knife and fork," he murmured, half to himself.
The boy came to the cell door and grasped the bars in his big hands.
He looked at Derwin, and his expression was the same expectant
one that had been so disturbing earlier.
The sheriff had stepped back, out of reach, as the boy approached.
"Did you want something?" he asked.
The boy made no reply.
"Can you understand what I say?" Derwin asked.
After a brief, puzzled pause the boy nodded.
"You can?" Derwin asked doubtfully. "I know you mutants had some
way of communicating with each other, without speaking, but I
thought the profs at the University decided you couldn't understand
us." He seemed to make a sudden decision. "I'll be right back," he
said.
Derwin returned to his office and picked up his desk chair, carried it
to the corridor opposite the boy's cell and sat down. "If you do
understand what I say, maybe we can have some kind of confab.
Can you speak?"
The boy made no reply.
"No, I guess you can't," Derwin said. "Or they'd have found out about
it before this." He considered a moment. "How about us setting up
some kind of code," he suggested. "I'll ask questions, and you nod if
I'm right, and shake your head if I'm wrong?"
The boy made no answer except for his continued expectant gaze.
Derwin shrugged. "O.K. If you can't, you can't. The profs had a
theory that you couldn't understand what they said, but that you got
some of the meaning of the words from the sound and the
inflections."
Still there was no response.

"Maybe you can read my mind?" Derwin waited a moment. "You're a


strange one, whatever the answers might be. When you eight
mutants were found in the lost islands area of the Lake of the Woods
the doctor who had brought you there—evidently when you were
very young—had been dead for years. He had been a famous
genetics specialist, and had probably cared for you from birth. The
profs even believe he must have influenced your development
before birth. Anyway, there was no doubt that you were all geniuses
of a high order. But there was a screw loose somewhere. When you
were brought to the University of Minnesota you soon turned into a
pack of murderers.
"And you were brilliant enough to get by with it for months before the
authorities learned what you were doing. The other seven were
killed, either fighting or trying to get away. You're the last one left
now. Wouldn't you like to make your peace—before it's too late for
you, too?"
There was no suggestion of truculence or stubbornness in the boy's
lack of response. It was as though Derwin's statements had not
merited answers, or that the answers had been too obvious to need
saying.
Derwin leaned back in his chair and folded his hands across his
stomach. "All right," he said. "If you aren't interested in that, let's get
back to your immediate problem. You know what you were arrested
for?" He did not wait for an answer. "You're accused of killing at least
thirty people," he said. "And they have plenty of proof—enough to
hang you. I'd say your only defense would be that you didn't know
what you were doing."
Derwin made an impatient motion to rise. "Oh, there's no use going
on," he said. "Either you can't understand me, or you know all this
already."
Abruptly the boy was nodding his head: nodding it vigorously.
Derwin remained sitting. "Why are you doing that?" he asked.
The boy blinked his eyes, pressing the lids tightly together, and
opened them again.
"What's that mean? Do you want help of some kind?" Derwin
paused. "I'd like to do what I can, but if you don't tell me, or show me
—how can I help you? If you have any way of communicating, use it
now, or we'll never get anywhere."
The boy's forehead creased with lines of effort. His mouth opened—
but no sound came out.
Derwin ran his fingers along the stubble of his jaw line. "I suppose if
the profs and psychiatrists at the U couldn't find a way to talk with
you, I can't. I understand when they couldn't learn how you mutants
read minds—or even if you did—they tried to teach you to speak,
and to live like human beings. You couldn't, or wouldn't, learn either.
You wouldn't work, and nothing seemed to interest you. Until toward
the end you turned surly, and scratched and even bit people who
annoyed you." Derwin paused again. "Have I touched on what's
troubling you yet?"
The boy moistened his lips and nodded, his face eager.
With a puzzled shake of his head Derwin tried again. "All right. The
first person your group killed, I've read, might have been the doctor
who raised you. Though personally I don't believe that. But there's
no doubt that you did kill others."
Derwin frowned. A smile had come to the boy's face as he listened—
as though he were recalling something pleasant.
The sheriff cocked his head to one side and shifted his position. He
spoke with less enthusiasm now. "After the others were killed, they
lost all trace of you until the day you visited Anchor Hospital in St.
Paul. The attendants there didn't recognize you, and assumed you
were just another visitor. But when you left, twenty-seven patients
were dead!"
A small shiver ran through the muscles of Derwin's back. The smile
had returned to the boy's pink cheeks: a smile almost of delight.
Derwin leaned forward, making no effort to hide his annoyance as he
spoke. "You'll hang for those killings!" he said. "We still don't know
how you do it, but the other patients in some of those wards saw you
put your hands on the people who died, and saw them go limp. They
didn't realize at the time that you had killed them."
The smile on the boy's face was as tranquil as the smile of a cherub.
A flow of angry blood crept into Derwin's face. "Just in case they
can't pin any of those murders on you," he said, "we sure as hell can
convict you of the three here in White Bear Lake." Derwin pulled
himself to his feet. "I'll do my best to see that you hang for them," he
said deliberately. His voice was low and flat. He limped away,
dragging his chair at his side.
The boy's expression of urgent request changed to one of reproach
when he realized that Derwin was leaving; disappointment showed
bleakly on his face. It was as though he had expected something
more from Derwin.

The next morning Derwin drove in the last car in a funeral procession
and waited at the fringe of the crowd as the coffin was lowered into
the ground. The deceased had been the last victim of the boy killer.
The mourners filed out quickly after the services, and Derwin found
no opportunity, that would not have involved an awkward intrusion, to
talk with any of them. However, as he walked slowly back to his car,
a young man of about twenty-five drove up in an old automobile and
parked at the edge of the grave. He got out from behind the wheel of
the vehicle and went around to the back. From the trunk he removed
a shovel and carried it to the grave. He nodded to the sheriff and
began pushing dirt from the edge into the hole.
Derwin strolled over and stood across the open grave from the
shoveler. Neither spoke until the young man stopped to wipe his
forehead. "You're the sheriff, aren't you?" he asked Derwin.
Derwin nodded.
"I understand you think that the wild boy killed Carl?" The young man
inclined his head toward the grave.
"Was Carl his first name?" Derwin answered noncommittally.
"Yes. Carl van Sistine. He was a good friend of mine. When we were
kids we used to play here, right in this graveyard. We hunted rabbits
with sling shots. I don't remember that we ever killed any. We were
always going to make a fire and roast the rabbits we shot, but as I
said, we never got any."
Derwin waited.
"The wild boy didn't kill him."
"What makes you think not?" Derwin asked. "No one saw him do it,
but two witnesses did see him run out of the house, and they found
Carl dead right after."
"I know that." The young man rolled his shirt sleeves up over hairy
forearms. "But did you know that Carl had something wrong with his
head—a tumor or something? He'd had it ever since he was a little
boy. Sometimes we'd be playing and all at once he'd stop dead still.
If there was a chair, or anything that moved around, he'd grab it and
holler for me to hold onto the other end. I'd hold it and he'd pull, until
he couldn't hang on anymore. Then he'd fall over backwards. He'd
lay there with his eyes rolled back until all I could see were the
whites. His face would be pale, and screwed-up looking, and sweat
would come out all over his body. His clothes would be wet with it. All
the time he'd be groaning and crying."
The young man took off his striped workman's cap and ran his
fingers through wavy brown hair. "The last few years he couldn't
leave the house. I used to visit him at first, but at last he didn't even
recognize me. And when his attacks came on he'd holler with pain,
and finally I couldn't stand to hear him anymore. That's what he died
from—the tumor in his head—and not the wild boy killing him."
"The doctors said it shouldn't have killed him—yet," Derwin
demurred.
"I know. But the doctors were wrong." The young man began
shoveling dirt into the hole again.

The sun was directly overhead when Derwin climbed out of his car,
pushing his game leg stiffly ahead of him. He went up the flight of
steps at the front of a large, white house and pressed the button
beside the door. He rang three times without an answer.
On the way back down the steps he heard the sound of iron on iron
coming from the back of the house. He walked around and found an
old man with stooped shoulders throwing horseshoes at a peg set in
the ground.
"Good afternoon," Derwin said.
The old man paused in his throwing and nodded in reply.
"I'd like to talk to you again about your sister's death," Derwin said. "I
presume you heard that we caught her killer?"
The old man sighted a shoe carefully and threw at a farther peg.
"Will you tell me again just what happened?" Derwin asked.
"I was sitting with her when he came in." The old man had a red face
and neck, with a border of white just above the collar line. "He hadn't
knocked. At least I didn't hear him. Just all at once he was standing
by the bed, smiling. I was going to say something, but he looked at
my sister, then at me, and he seemed so young, and kind of fresh-
looking, that I just smiled back. Then he sat on the bed alongside
Louise, and put his hand on her chest, and she closed her eyes, and
her moaning stopped—for the first time in almost a week. I didn't
know until after he'd gone that she was dead."
"How did it happen you didn't report her death to my office? We only
learned about it from the doctor."
The old man's attention seemed absorbed by something on the roof
of a neighboring house. He stood for several minutes, then slowly
looked down at his hand in mild surprise. He had been gripping, and
twisting an iron shoe in his hand so hard that a corner had cut a
ragged gash in the meaty forepart of his thumb. Blood flowed from
the cut down the end of the shoe and dripped sluggishly to the
ground.
Irritably the old man tossed the shoe aside and took a handkerchief
from a rear pocket of his trousers and wrapped it around the injured
thumb. "I was glad she died," he said half-defiantly.
Derwin's eyebrows raised questioningly.
"That may sound heartless." The old man's voice was mild now. "But
it isn't. My sister had cancer—had it bad. She was dying from it. And
she was suffering horribly. Even drugs gave her no relief toward the
last. During her periods of consciousness she begged the doctor to
give her something so she could die, but he wouldn't. I asked him to
put her out of her misery, too. But he wouldn't listen to me either.
"Mr. Derwin...." The old man brought his face closer to Derwin's.
"Every human being should have the right to die. When the time
comes that medicine can't help them any more, and they have
nothing to look forward to, except suffering, they should be allowed
to die if they want to." Abruptly he turned his back and walked into
the house.

Dusk was edging into darkness when Derwin reached the home of
the boy's third victim. The family lived in an upper duplex apartment.
A large wreath hung on the apartment door. The woman who
answered his knock was middle-aged, with dark hair and dark eyes,
and quick, nervous hands. "Come in," she invited listlessly, as she
recognized the sheriff.
Derwin followed her to a chair in the front room and sat down. "Can
you give me any details of your husband's death that you might not
have remembered when I was here before?" he asked.
"You've got to see that that maniac pays for his killings," the woman
spoke rapidly, excitedly, ignoring the sheriff's question. "If you don't,
I'll...." Her voice broke and she began to cry. After a few minutes she
wiped her eyes with a square of tissue which she took from her
apron pocket. "I'm all right now," she said. "What do you want to
know?"
"Anything you remember. You might tell me first what time of day it
happened."
"About the same time in the evening as now," the woman answered.
"We had already finished eating. George was lying here on the
davenport and I...."
"Pardon me a minute," Derwin interrupted. "How ill was your
husband?"
"He was too sick to work, though he could still get around a little. He
had silicosis of the lungs, you know."
Derwin nodded. "Go on, please."
The woman needed no urging. Apparently she enjoyed talking.
"Where was I? Oh, yes. I heard something scratching at the door—it
sounded like a cat—and I went to see what it was. The boy was
standing there, smiling. I didn't know who he was then. He looked so
young, and so sweet-like, that I didn't ask what he wanted; I just let
him come in.
"When George saw him I thought, at first, that he knew him, because
he sat up straight and spoke to the boy. He said something like, 'So
you've come?' He looked glad, as though he was happy. Then he
changed and looked scared. But he didn't say anything more, and
neither did the boy. Finally he sort of relaxed, and sighed, and let
himself ease back on the davenport. He asked me to make a pot of
coffee, and I left and went into the kitchen."
The woman stopped and blew her nose. "That's all, except that the
boy was gone when I came back—and George was dead."
Derwin looked down at the hat on his lap and searched for a way to
express what he wanted to say. At last he looked up. "Some people
believe the mutants killed only people who were very sick—people
who had no chance to live anyway, and probably wanted to die
quickly?" His voice rose doubtfully as he finished.
"That's not true." There was no expression in the woman's flat voice.
"I read where they killed some that weren't sick at all. And how would
they know how sick the others were? Or if they wanted to die?"
"How about your husband?"
"George did suffer quite a bit. But I'm certain he never wanted to
die."
"Was there any chance that he might have recovered from his
particular illness?"
"The doctors said not, but what right did that boy have to play God
and kill him? And how do any of us know that there won't be a new
treatment or a new drug discovered, maybe next week or next
month, that could have saved George? What justification can you
have for a cold-blooded murderer like that?"
Derwin looked down again at his hat and shifted his feet
uncomfortably.
The woman said, "George had a pension that supported us. But it
stopped when he died. How am I going to live now? Who's going to
support my children—or take care of them while I work?" There was
still no emotion in the woman's voice, but tears which she
disregarded ran down her cheeks.
Derwin stood up. "I don't know," he said. "I was just wondering if
what seems wrong to us might not seem right to him," he
apologized.
The next morning Derwin stopped in at a store on Mahtomedi
Avenue and bought a pair of trousers, a shirt, a set of underwear,
and a pair of socks. Two doors down he stopped in at another store
and bought a pair of shoes.
He drove to the jail and shoved the clothing through the bars to the
boy. "Here's something better for you to wear," he said and walked
on to his office.
The boy carried his bundle to the rear of the cell and began
changing. He was buttoning his shirt when he glanced through the
small barred window in the wall and saw Derwin crossing the street
toward a corner lunch room. A flush of excitement appeared on his
cheeks and he finished dressing hurriedly.
Moving to the front of the cell he spread out his right hand and flexed
the fingers several times. His face assumed an expression of deep
abstraction.
A faint haze began to waver along the edges of the hand, and its
flesh appeared to move in small ripples. The boy pressed the hand
against the door lock—and it passed through the metal. The lock
gave a muted metallic click. The door swung open.
The boy's hand returned to its normal appearance as he withdrew it,
but it hung limp and pale. He massaged it vigorously as he stepped
out into the jail corridor. He was careful not to let himself be seen
when he left the jail.
An hour later he had left White Bear Lake.
When Derwin returned to the jail and found the boy gone he was not
much surprised. He walked slowly to his office and picked up the
phone. "Let me speak to the sheriff," he said.... "Gibbons?" ... "This
is Derwin, out at White Bear Lake." ... "Fine." ... "The wild boy
escaped about an hour ago. He's sprung his cell lock someway." ...
"No, I don't know which way he went, but I figured he might head
back to St. Paul." ... "O. K." ... "I wish you'd do me a favor. Ask your
men—and the police—not to shoot him. I'm sure he won't resist
when you arrest him." ... "I know." ... "I know." He sighed. "That's
right. You have to do what you think best." He hung up.

The boy went directly from the jail to the railroad tracks, nearly a mile
past the depot. He hid in the weeds along the track until a slow
freight passed, then climbed into the open door of a boxcar.
The string of freight cars was cut out of the train in the St. Paul
yards. The boy stayed inside his car until several hours after dark,
when he left his hiding place and went along the Mississippi, past
Carlson's Landing, and up to the post office. There he stopped and
seemed to be deciding what he should do next.
A half block away a policeman was checking the tires of parked cars.
The boy saw him and began walking rapidly in the opposite direction.
He hesitated at the street corner, then walked boldly out into the
lighted area of the intersection. He had nearly reached the opposite
sidewalk when he heard a shout behind him. He began to run. A
police whistle sounded shrilly.

When the boy entered the park he appeared to wander casually, with
his interest centered on no particular person or place, but his steps
took him down a diagonal walk that led to the young mother and the
carriage. The child of about six inside the carriage had a large head
that wobbled spasmodically above its thin frame.
The boy walked past the mother without attracting her attention, and
bent toward the child.
A terrified scream at his side jerked him erect.
"The beast!" The woman screamed with all the power in her lungs.
She sprang at the boy, still screaming, and dug clawed fingers into
his cheeks. "Get away from him, you beast! You horrible beast!"
Fear blossomed up into the boy's face at the woman's scream. He
pushed her aside and glared wildly about him.
The nearest exit from the park was just ahead. Swiftly he put his
head down and scurried through the exit. Once in the street he
increased his speed and ran for six blocks, past the auditorium, and
across Seven Corners, until the breath whistled in his throat. As he
staggered to a stop a police siren sounded behind him.
The boy forced his tired legs to move again and sprinted down an
alley that opened to his left. Halfway through the alley he heard the
screech of tires behind him—and the police siren was at his back.
He came to a low fence bordering the alley, between an apartment
building and an older, private, home. Without pausing he rested a
hand on the fence railing and vaulted over.
Beneath him as he hung suspended he saw a child's large sand box.
His right foot, with his weight behind it, landed on the handle of a toy
wagon, and his ankle twisted painfully under him. He sprawled
forward, ripping the skin of his forearm on the side of the sand box
as he fell.
As quickly as he was able he pulled himself to his feet and limped
across the yard, past the small house, and out into the street. The
police siren still sounded behind him, and now another started up in
the block ahead.
He turned to the right and ran with all the speed he could command.
A block ahead loomed the Mississippi. With his last remaining
strength he stumbled toward it.
A police car arrived just as he dived into the murky water.
Two policemen scrambled from the car and ran toward the river
bank. Sergeant Robert Kirk pulled his pistol from its holster as the
boy's head reappeared above the water.
"Halt!" he shouted. "Halt or I'll shoot!"
The boy never paused.
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